Should Church Music Ministers be Paid? Part 1

Should Church Music Ministers be Paid?  Part 1

Greetings from blogland!  Our discussion today combines the biblical with the practical; ancient customs and scriptures versus twenty-first century application.  I know of pastors who follow this blog and if you are a pastor reading this, please proceed with an open mind.  I understand opinions on this subject vary dramatically and I believe I am able to be objective as I write this as I have lived on both sides of the fence: paid and not paid.  I am certainly not asserting that my opinion is the final word on this topic:  I am only presenting my findings after much research and experience.  Having said that, let us delve into the question at hand to learn what the Bible says regarding compensation for music ministers.

Who in the Bible was compensated for church music ministry?

The tribe of Levi!  We commonly refer to them as the Levites.  This tribe of Israel was hand-picked by God.  The Levites are our biblical model for this topic and the Bible has a lot to say about their significance.

Aaron was the individual chosen by God to act as the head of the Levites.  Aaron was a Levite (Exodus 4:14) and we read of his ordination in Leviticus 8:1-12.  Aaron's sons and extended family would multiply and serve as ministers of everything found in the church, including music.  (Numbers 18:1-6).  God was teaching his people how to worship him.  To do so, he needed ministers to oversee the operations of the tabernacle.  These men were called priests and Levites, and they could only be members of the tribe of Levi.

In I Chronicles 6:31-47 we have documentation of David appointing temple musicians.  Verse 31 and 32 clearly tell us:  "These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the Lord after the ark came to rest there.  They ministered with music before the tabernacle".  (NIV)  The men named in verses 33 through 46 were all Levites.  I Chronicles chapter 23 names the men David appointed (all Levites) and we learn in verse 5 he appointed (four thousand) musicians.  Wow!  And I Chronicles 15:16-28 tells us David appointed signers and musicians to join him in leading the procession of the ark of the covenant.  Now that we have established that the Levites were the chosen people to minister in music let us discover how they were paid.

How were the Levites compensated?

Okay, this is the fun part.  Show me the money!  Numbers 18:21-24 answers the question  of the blog - yes the biblical model as prescribed by God does order music ministers to be paid.  The original model in the old testament has music ministers paid from the offerings collected of the Israelites.

Not only did a Levite's compensation come from offerings, they were also provided housing!  In fact whole cities (48 cities in all) and suburbs were designated by God to be set aside just for Levites.  God provides the details to Moses in Numbers 35:1-8.

Additional supporting scriptures

Lest I only reference old testament scriptures let's take a look into the new testament also.  In Luke 10:7 Jesus says "...the labourer is worthy of his hire."  Jesus told his disciples to accept hospitality graciously because their work entitled them to it.  Ministers in the church deserve to be supported, and our responsibility is to make sure they have what they need.  There are several ways to encourage those who serve God in his church.  The church should support ministers emotionally, by showing appreciation, and through financial support.

In I Corinthians 9:4-10 and verse 13 Paul discusses the compensation of Christian workers by the church.  The church has the responsibility to care for its pastors, teachers, and other leaders.

Who gets paid?

The answer to this question as it relates to your local congregation is varied.  First we must realize the Levites had the support of an entire nation and therefore they enjoyed an enormous 'bank' from which to withdraw from.  In our current-day world of Christianity in which Christians are very segregated due to many denominations, your pastor's 'bank' or resources from which to compensate you with may be severely limited.  In the day of the Levite musicians and singers, the entire nation of Israel was of one group or 'denomination'; thus the land was unified in its compensation to the Levites.

Add to this the fact that most leadership in Christian denominations today (on a country-wide level) do not implement organized compensation for their pastors, let alone music ministers.  This is very unfortunate and a topic of discussion in and of itself.  In fact the reason God instituted the model of compensation in the manner He did shows us the importance He placed on music; God gave instructions to Israel regarding payment for music ministers and priests together and in the same breath.

Nevertheless in our churches today a local congregation may only be able to afford to pay one individual - usually the head coordinator/director of the music department.  Larger congregations with more resources may choose to pay multiple people - singers and/or musicians both.  This seems to follow reason:  more resources provide more options to leaders and financial decision makers of a church.  And after all other costs need to be addressed besides just clergy and the music ministry.  As it is natural for a dedicated church musician to understand the biblical precedent for compensation and so desire it, many vocalists and musicians find their way to large congregations that are able to more freely offer payment for services rendered.  Note to people who criticize singers and musicians who may relocate to one of these larger congregations: this does not necessarily mean the music minister has "sold out" or given in to the love of money.

Remember, as established earlier in this discussion, the seek such support (from the church) is rooted in biblical precepts.

In Part 2 we will discuss two more vital questions pertaining to this discussion.  Stay tuned!